The Trinity Riverfront master plan proposes a new green infrastructure of water, woven into new and existing urban grids, a vast network of transportation corridors, and existing highway infrastructure. The proposal extends the natural systems of the Trinity River towards Dallas's downtown, providing new open space and new habitats.
At the heart of the plan is the Old River, revived and revitalized through a series of sustainable transformations from a disconnected flood basin into a beautiful chain of parks and water gardens. The river is reconnected to the people through a productive system that reimagines life along the Old River, re-working the water systems that move through the current 'sumps?, holding more water in place; creating new urban amenities; improving its quality; and reducing overall volumes that enter the levee at flood stage. Storm-water runoff serves as irrigation to new urban forests that clean the air and water and provide a new habitat for native birds and wildlife.
Ecologically diverse and programmatically rich, these playful, active forests weave between the highways and interchanges, with a new walk that connects Dealey Plaza to the waterfront. New public amenities at all scales offer new opportunities to experience the river. A signature urban beach nestles into the DeCCo district and overlooks the river while the Pump House Amphitheater in the Viaduct provides a new outdoor venue and connects the central business district to the waterfront. Water gardens with lush islands and floating cafes; water amphitheaters, playgrounds, and wet forests; floodable sport courts; and new wetland habitats all create new life from Dallas's ancestral source.